Commuting to work is costing us all more of our free time - and the hunt for affordable homes is to blame

NewsWorldAmericasCommuting to work is costing us all more of our free time - and the hunt for affordable homes is to blameThe average one-way commute time hit 27.2 minutes in 2024Katie Hawkinson in Washington, D.C. Sunday 12 April 2026 13:02 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2953370","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/commute-times-american-home-suburbs-b2953370.html","title":"Average American commute time is increasing from pandemic lows"}}CloseRelated: Two planes almost collide on runway at Newark AirportThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Evening_Newsletter","regTitle":"Evening Headlines","subscriptionGroup":"us_evening_headlines","subscriptionGroupId":"4326e634-422a-4447-8e1e-604a937cd3b5","type":"daily_news","pathPrefix":["/us","/news/world/americas","/news/world/americas/crime"],"title":"The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday","mobileTitle":"Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/usEveningHeadlines1_1.png","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receiveEveningHeadlinesUSNews","regSourceSection":"Americas","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false}The average commute to work in the U.S. is getting l...